Vox Preteritus
by The Emerald Shapeshifter
Summary: Link Yuki was your substandard teen. But all this changes when the legends of old seem to creep up on him, and he's thrust into the ancient world in a last ditch attempt to save his future.  Takes place long after Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword
1. From Yesterday

**Vox Preteritus**

**A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction**

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* * *

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"_I was always a loner, and outsider. My life felt like it was missing something. Untill these hazy dreams started appearing to my life. I pieced them together, trapping myself in a fake life…Fake, right?"_

_

* * *

_

_The bloodline of courage is strong and true_

_Over the great lands and the ocean blue_

_The bloodline of power is bitter and cruel_

_Fought through theme in a deadly duel_

_The bloodline of wisdom is magical and pure_

_Through the times the line becomes obscure_

_The three of legend, never forgotten_

_In time's river, they will forever live on_

_Until the end of time comes and the sunlight is gone_

* * *

**Chapter One: From Yesterday**

"Cucco! Cucco! Cucco! Cucc—"

_SMASH!_

"Stupid alarm clock…oops."

I decided, that if I wasn't good at anything, at least I was good at destroying my Cucco alarm clock.

Sitting up, I yawned and stretched my arms over my head. Eyes still closed, I felt blindly around on my bedside table for my glasses, resulting in me falling off the bed. The fall didn't seem to register in my mind until I reached up and grabbed my glasses, shoving them on my face.

Standing, I stretched again and stumbled over to my closet to find my outfit for the day. It almost always consisted of a white shirt, one of my many pairs of jeans, and a green sweatshirt (it was cold out now). Finding the clothes and dressing myself, I found my brown boots under my bed and pulled them on. Lastly, I grabbed my hairbrush, and with a few quick strokes of my hair, had it shaped into less of the bedhead I had and more of the windblown style I favored.

Suddenly, the door to my room opened and a hand with a box appeared. "Honey, your contacts came in yesterday," my mom said. "I forgot to tell you!"

"Just when I'm done getting ready…" I mumbled, grabbing the box and shutting the door.

So I took off my ridiculously square glasses and got my contacts in after a few minutes. I looked at myself in the mirror. The contacts seemed to enhance my blue, angular eyes. I sighed. I blinked, and I suddenly found myself staring at a wolf.

I panicked, backing up, and the wolf did too. But when I blinked again, I found myself staring at myself again. The look on my face scared me.

_"He's a stranger to some_

_And a vision to none_

_I can never get enough_

_Get enough of the wor—"_

I picked up my cell phone. "I-I'm getting ready for school, Mikau. What do you want?" Dang it. It stuttered. I never stuttered.

"HEY!" my friend, Mikau, yelled into the phone, nearly blasting my eardrums. "You all psyched for the field trip tomorrow?"

"Yeah, just don't yell in my ear," I said.

"But it's gonna be so much fuuunnn! I can't remember the last theme we went on a field trip! I've never been to the museum before."

"Mn."

"Don't be such a sour-puss, Mr. Emo!"

"Later, Mik," I said, hanging up.

"Link!" my mom called. "You're gonna miss the bus!"

"Crap!" I yelped. I threw on my heavy backpack and my laptop case (with my laptop) and ran out of the room. I said hi to my four-year-old sister Aryll, grabbed a muffin, and bolted out of the house with a, "Bye, Mom!" before launching myself onto the bus and into my seat.

"Same old routine every morning, right Link?" my friend, Tetra, said, winking at him. "You always almost miss the bus."

I grinned and eyed her hair. Tetra always had weird hairstyles and today was no exception. "What did you do, fuse a seashell into your hair?"

"_Ha ha, _very funny," she scoffed. "I happen to like it."

"That makes one of us," I laughed, and she playfully punched me in the shoulder.

The bus stopped, and Mikau got on. "Hey Link, hey Te—whoa, hey seashell-head."

"That's not nice," Tetra whined.

"Mikau, sit down," Fyer, the bus driver, snapped. Mikau happily plopped down in the seat in front of me.

I rolled my eyes and got out my yellow iPod nano, plugging in my earbuds and losing myself in the blaring style of music that was 30 Seconds to Mars.

I gazed out of the window. Tomorrow was the field trip, and after that, there was a week before school would be out for the summer, and I would be a senior next year. Finally, I could relax that year.

I was a normal kid in a normal world. I lived in the large country of Hyrule, which, in mythology, was the chosen land of the gods. Most of that legend had vanished, but a bit of it remained with the Royal Family, who consisted of the King of Hyrule and his daughter, Princess Zelda.

As I gazed out the window of the bus, I admired the rolling hills and sun-kissed land, and my mind went back to an age when men rode horses and rescued maidens and defeated evil demons with swords.

* * *

School passed by without incident. Everyone complimented my new contacts—one of my teachers even went so far as to say my eyes looked like a wolf's. She creeped me out.

Ms. Telma was giving us the details on the field trip in my first class; we were going to the town museum for history class, after all.

"So, you all know the stories of the goddesses, right?" Ms. Telma asked, looking at the class expectantly. No surprise, she winked at me. I felt an unwelcome blush crawl onto my face.

"Yes," we all said.

"Three goddesses," she said slowly. "Din, Nayru, and…?"

"Farore," some kid said.

"Right! According to legend, these three goddesses created the world, and the Sky Beings known as the Occa, who made the Hylians. The Hylians were the closest beings to the goddesses, and were placed in Hyrule to govern over the god's chosen lands.

"The ancient Hylians built amazing machines, things that far surpass the technology we have today. Huge cannons, flying machines powered by magic and many other things. But that is an age long gone, and relics of that age were either skillfully hid—though we have found a few—or destroyed."

I ignored most of the teacher's ramblings. My major was already in history and geography. I whipped out my notebook and started drawing like I always did. Sketches of horses and temples and brave warriors adorned the pages as I flipped to a blank one. I started drawing, in a blind flurry of pencil to paper. Eventually the bell rang, and I looked at what I had drawn.

A wolf.

It was a large wolf, standing on a cliff with the moon in the background. The piercing eyes seemed to stare right at me.

"Very nice, Link."

I jumped as Ms. Telma came up behind me, staring at my notebook. "The symbol of the Hero of Time was _aurum lupus_, or the Gold Wolf."

"Gold Wolf?" I echoed. What was with her and wolves?

"Yep! They say the ghost of the Hero roams Hyrule seeking his ancestors to carry on his life's work." She winked. "But, they say that's a myth. You tell me, Mr. Historian."

And she walked back to the front of the room. Students were already piling out, but she said anyway, "Don't forget. The bus leaves at 8 for the museum. You don't need bookbags, but bring your brains. That means you Mikau!" she finished as Mikau left the room.

"No promises!" he yelled back, giving a jaunty wave as he left class.

* * *

On the bus ride home, I listened to my iPod again. The soothing music entered my ears and sent my mind daydreaming—back to the days when animals guided warriors through mystical lands, and swords were forged to beat back dragons and demons that threatened the lands.

* * *

_This is my first Legend of Zelda fic. Let me know what you think!_

_Link's ringtone is 'From Yesterday', by 30 Seconds To Mars. I think it fits Link perfectly._


	2. The Boy Who Wanted The World

**Vox Preteritus**

**Chapter Two: The Boy Who Wanted The World**

* * *

"_It's time to engulf the land of Hyrule in fire."_

"_They've all forgotten about you, my lord. It shall be easy for my lord to take the land over."_

"_And they've forgotten about _him_. I know his descendant is out there. I will not underestimate him again. Scout the land. If you find him, _kill him_."_

"_Yes, my liege!"_

* * *

I got home from school and threw my bookbag into the wall near the door. I turned to grab something to eat and promptly had a gold rupee shoved in my face.

I looked up at my mom. "What's this for?"

"Food. You're going shopping."

"Moomm!"

"No buts." She handed me a piece of paper. "Here's the list."

And she hurriedly shoved me out of the door.

It took a second to compose myself. "Women," I mused quietly. I grabbed my bike off the ground and sped towards the marketplace.

* * *

I read the list my mom had handed me. Meat. Bread. Cheese. What was this, medieval times? Just put food on the list, mom. I know what to get.

The Market was pretty crowded today. Our town had a small, old-fashioned market where people from all over sold things. There were even Gorons and Zoras and Deku people, selling their wares that you could only get from them, like the Gorons sold rejuvenating mineral water from the hot springs up on their mountains.

I walked up to one of the stands that I normally went to and rang the bell. A Deku salesman popped out of the flower on the ground. He smiled when he saw me.

"Link!" he said. "Nice to see you again. Your mom send you shopping?"

"Yep. I just want the usual stuff."

"Okay, one moment."

Five minutes, he came back with all the stuff my mom puts on her weekly list.

"Thanks!" I said, walking off to another stand.

A Zora had a whole stand for music. I needed the latest Indigo-Go's CD. NEEDED IT.

So when I got there, there was some guy in a black cape and a hood up, reaching for the LAST CD.

"NOOO!" I yelled and, not thinking, tackling the guy.

"Ow!" he yelled. He was still holding the CD, and his hood was still up, but I still got a good look at him.

"Princess Zelda?" I said, shocked.

"Shhhh!" he—or, she—said, holding her hand over my mouth. Keeping her hand there, she grabbed my arm and stood up, pulling me up with her. "Don't tell anyone I'm here. The guards will make me go back to the castle!"

"O…kay?" I said slowly, and she took her hand away.

"Oh!" she said, sounding surprised. "Link Yuki! I didn't know it was you."

"You know me?"

She paused. "Yeah. You're a straight A student, top of your class, a history major, and you do lots of extracurriculars. Of course the government would know you, and the government is my daddy."

"That doesn't explain why you recognized me," I said.

She paused again. "I've seen you before. You just haven't seen me."

"Oh." I motioned to the CD in her hand. "You gonna buy that?"

She looked down. "Oh! No, you can have it. I'll buy another copy when they restock."

With that, she handed me the CD, giggled, and ran off.

I shook my head in disbelief, and picked up my stuff, paid for the CD, and went home.

* * *

"MAN! You talked to the _Princess_?"

"Mikau, calm down." I called him right when I got home, and told him what happened. "I just ran into her. But, she obviously knew me."

"How?"

"She knew my name and all."

"She LIIIIIIKES you!"

I felt myself blushing. "No she doesn't! She's the Princess!"

"You LIIIIIKE her!"

"Shut up, Mik!"

"You LOOOOOVE—"

And I hung up. Gods, that kid was annoying. But he was my best friend. I settled down on my bed and relaxed for the rest of the night, listening to the new Indigo-Go's album.

* * *

"Cucco! Cucc-"

"LIINK! WAKE UP!"

I jolted awake, flopping like a fish at the edge of my bed, which resulted in me falling off. I groaned, rubbing my back.

"Whaaat now?" I drawled out, still sleepy.

"It's almost 8! The bus will be here in fifteen minutes!" mom yelled.

"Ahhh!" I ran to get in the shower.

Five minutes later, I was hurriedly brushing my hair. I was almost always late for the bus. My stupid clock would go off ten minutes late. Totally wasn't my fault.

I got my clothes on quickly—a pair of pale khaki pants, a white shirt and my usual green sweatshirt. I debated putting on a hat until I heard my mom call, "Link! The bus is here you lazy bum!"

"I'm coming!"

I barreled out the door, grabbing my barely filled backpack before I left the house. I jumped into the bus as the door closed behind me.

"Nice landing," Fyer grumbled. "Take your seat Yuki."

I nodded and sat beside Tetra and Mikau. They grinned. "Late as usual," Mikau said.

I nodded. "No need to remind me. I wish time would work for me for once."

* * *

When we got to school, the fancy white bus was waiting to take us to the museum. "I call a window seat!" I yelled, charging inside. Everyone else piled inside after me, completely ignoring Ms. Telma as she told us what we would be doing on the trip. She sighed and got on the bus, and we were on our way.

The sound of idle chatter was drowned away by the music blasting from my gold earbuds, and I looked longingly out of the window, picturing packs of golden wolves racing along the country sides of yore, howling to the moon, standing on cliffsides and looking oh-so-regal.

* * *

It was an hour later that we got to the museum. It was a long drive from Kakariko to Castle Town. I had fallen asleep on the bus, and when I woke up, no one was on the bus. I panicked and dove out of the bus, only to find everyone gathered outside of it.

I rubbed my neck sheepishly.

"We're not even in the museum yet and Mr. History Major is already asleep!" Tetra scoffed, grinning.

"Shut up," I said, also grinning. "Car trips tire me out."

"Let's get inside, class," Ms. Telma said, rolling her eyes. We all followed her past the rock garden into the museum. The guards beside each door moved to pull the huge slabs of stone open. It took almost a minute. But they bowed and let us pass into the museum, spears held at their sides.

The museum was huge. I was in awe at the old lion-shaped boats, medieval weapons and clothes, and history tidbits. I ran to one particular exhibit near the front as everyone else fanned out to the rest of the areas.

The exhibit at the front was a statue of the Hero Of Time. He wore a green tunic, and was sitting on the back of a horse, which was rearing back with its front two legs in the air. The Hero was wearing a long green hat, but the statue was faceless. No one knew what he looked like. There was a plaque that said, _The Hero of Time. _On the next line, it said, _In Terra Rea_.

I stared at the statue for a good long while, and I knew this was my destiny. To figure out who this man was, and what he truly did. History was my forte, and I loved it more than anything.

"They say that Hylians were blessed with long ears to hear the messages of the gods," a voice said. I turned to see a man standing next to me. "I'm Shad. The museum curator. I can tell you're a man who loves the past."

I nodded. "I want to find out who he was. What he really did and how he did it."

"Good man. I see you have the head for this kind of thing." He turned back to the statue. "I did my research on the ancient sky people, and my college thesis was on the ancient Sky Book used to get to their land."

"My thesis will be on the Hero of Time," I said, determined. "It's the only thing I want to do."

"Good for you," Shad said, clapping me on the back. "Maybe if you open your ears and open your heart, the goddesses will guide you in your quest."

I turned to give him a weird look, but he was gone.

I looked back up at the statue, closing my eyes and just enjoying the feeling of being in Hyrule's greatest museum.

_Wolf_.

I literally jumped a mile. I looked around, but no one was near me. Who's voice was that?

_Golden wolf_.

I looked around again. This wasn't funny. But still, no one was even near me!

_Don't you hear it? They're crying to be saved._

"Who's there?" I yelled out.

Everyone looked at me. I felt my cheeks flare red, and I looked back at the statue angrily, trying to focus on anything but the odd voices in my mind.

_You will save them._

Suddenly, I heard a chime. It was low, like bells ringing. They played six notes.

Everything started turning grayscale, as the people walking around slowed down, eventually freezing. My eyes were wide as I looked around. What was going on?

I walked over to Ms. Telma. She was frozen in the middle of talking to someone. Her mouth was halfway open, but she wasn't moving. Or breathing.

It was like time had frozen.

Until I heard movement. I turned slowly to see Shad standing in the entrance of the museum. He was the only one, besides me, still with color. He shuffled his feet, looking around a little. His eyes met with mine, and he walked out the front door.

"Shad!" I yelled, running after him. "Wait!"

I rushed out the front door, only to see outside was the same as the inside. Everything was frozen and Shad was nowhere to be seen.

"Shad?" I called. "What's going on?"

No answer. It was sort of eerie without the trees moving in the wind and birds chirping.

"Shad!"

I heard rustling from the left. I turned to face the woods near the museum, and suddenly a giant wolf leapt from the trees and pinned me to the ground.

I yelled, feeling its hot breath on my face at it growled softly, looking down at me. I closed my eyes tightly.

"Child, open your eyes."

I started, kind of surprised. I opened my eyes slowly to see the wolf sitting in front of me, staring passively at me. But there was something different.

This wolf had gold fur.

I blinked. "_Aurum lupus_," I breathed, barely able to hear it myself.

"Correct. I am the Golden Wolf."

"Why are you…?"

"I hailed from the Hyrule of old, long ago, before the Curtain of Time fell."

"W-What does that mean? Who are you? Why are you here? What's going on?" I was spewing questions like a waterfall, I was so confused.

"Calm your tongue, child, and I shall explain," the wolf said in a composed tone. "_Lupus aurum_, the Golden Wolf. The symbol of the Hero of Time. When the Hero of Time passes on, his spirit remains on this hallowed earth, to find his descendant and guide him. That spirit takes on the form of the Golden Wolf."

"But…but what does that mean?" I wanted answers!

"Look deep within yourself, and find out."

I paused. This wolf knew who I was. _Who_ was I? I don't even know anymore.

_His spirit remains on the Earth to find his descendant and guide him._

OH GODS.

OH GODS.

The wolf was looking for his descendant.

He was talking to me. There's that grin again!

OH GODS!

_Who _am _I?_

The wolf smiled, bearing the canines.

"Link Yuki, you are the far descendant of Link, the very first Hero of Time. You are the Hero of Time, reborn."

I felt like I was going to faint.

I was the Hero of Time! How's THAT for irony! I always wanted to figure out who the guy was, and turns out I _am_ him! And he had the same name as me!

I was flipping out. I saw the wolf grin wider, but then he frowned.

"Calm yourself, Link," he said gravely. "We must hurry. Do you know why the Hero of Time vanished?"

I calmed down enough to think back to my research. "Ancient texts say a great devil killed him long ago."

"That great devil brought upon Hyrule the Curtain of Time, which froze the Hero of Time's bloodline so he could not be reborn. But you have broken that curse! You must defeat the King of Evil!"

I backed away. "Whoa, whoa, hold on. I'm no hero. I'm just Link. I'm the kids that sits in the corners and tries to stay out of the way. I can't stop some great evil."

"_At last the boy admits it,_" a deep voice said.

I jumped. The wolf looked around. "Get on my back, Link!" it said.

"Wha—?"

"_Get on my back!_"

I yelped and jumped onto the wolf's back, and he ran off at breakneck speeds as the frozen region of time seemed to follow us. I heard a voice in my head.

_The Great King of Evil has found you. We must get you to a safe place and time!_

"How are you talking in my head?" I asked aloud, confused. I was suddenly thrust into this madness, I didn't know what to do.

_Link. Listen. The King of Evil's goal is to destroy the Hero of Time. If he can't stop you, he will go back in time and kill your ancestors. I'm sending you back in time to save them._

"What? I'm just a kid! What can I do?"

The wolf growled. _You are not just a kid. You are Link, Hero of Time, Hero of Winds, Hero of the Skies and the Earth. You can do anything._

The wolf stopped and set me onto the ground. We were now in a glade in the woods, surrounded by a discrete circle of trees. There was a circle of stones in the ground.

"Here we are," the wolf said slowly, looking at the circle. "Do you accept this task, Link Yuki, Hero of Time, to save your lineage?"

I don't know.

Suddenly, my limbs felt heavy and a huge wave of exhaustion fell over me. I heard the wolf growl out, "No!" before I fell to my knees and blacked out.

* * *

I heard voices.

"Release him! Your plan will fail, Ganondorf!"

"Shut that mutt up."

I heard a high pitched yip which pulled me fully out of the realm of darkness that had me trapped.

Footsteps.

"He awakens."

My eyes shot open and I scrambled back from the man. He was tall and imposing, and the action wasn't caused by me. It was more of an instinct. "G-Ganondorf."

"I see you remember me," he said. "I can assure you that this time, you will not stand in my way."

He had a huge black sword in his hand that looked like a twisted double helix. He hefted it above his head with no effort at all, and struck down at me.

I yelled and held my hands up, a futile, animalistic attempt to save myself.

It worked.

I heard a clang, and when I looked up, my hand was holding onto a sword. It was a little bit shorter than the man's sword, less ornate. And it was flickering like a hologram from one of those Star Trek shows. Just as that thought ran through my head, the sword buzzed and vanished.

"It assists you even from the past," Ganondorf muttered.

I backed away.

Ganon grinned evilly. "But your courage is all but nonexistent, boy."

He shot a ball of blackness from the palm of his hand, and it collided with my chest. I heard a high pitched whistle, and all faded into black again.

_Your naiveté will be your downfall._

_

* * *

_

Chapter Two. :) Please review!

Again, more Latin. Aurum Lupus means, duh, golden wolf.


End file.
